Article of furniture



1951 E. N. BELL 3,

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Dec. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I N V EN TOR. [DMAD A. 8511 ,qrraelwf Oct. 17, 1961 E. N. BELL 3,004,792

ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Filed Dec. 18, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 01744? 4/. Jill mam array/v5, r

United States Patent "ice 3,004,792 I ARTICLE OF FURNITURE Edward N. Bell, 2334 Highland St., Des Moines, Iowa Filed Dec. 18, 1959, Ser. No. 860,429

4 Claims. (Cl. 297--118) This invention relates to an article of furniture and more particularly to a combination chair and footstool. Today most living rooms are of relatively small floor space. While such living areas are suflicient for the 3,004,792 Patented Oct. 17, 195

2 I may utilize the bolt means 21 for hingedly securing it with the box frame 10. Bolt means 28 hingedly secures the U-member 27. Obviously when these two U-members are suspended downwardly and vertically, their center sections will be directly above and across the top of the platform 22, as shown in FIG. 3. This indicates that the plaftorm 22 will be in its lowered sliding position,

people living at the place, they often present a problem when visitors are present. The chief concern is the suificient seating accommodations. Usually it is necessary to utilize the available footstool for seating purposes. However, footstools have no backs and are uncomfortably low in height.

Therefore, one of the principal objects of my invention is to provide a footstool that may be made up into a chair having a back and of a height substantially that of an ordinary chair, sofa, or like.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a combination footstool and chair that may be easily and quickly changed from a footstool to a chair, and vice versa.

Still further objects of my invention are to provide a combination footstool and chair that is economical in manufacture, durable in use and refined in appearance.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangements, and combination, of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth, specifically pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of my device when in the form of a footstool,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of my device when in the form of a chair,

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view of my article of furniture and more fully illustrates its construction, and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of my device taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

In these drawings I have used the numeral 10 to generally designate a box frame open at top and bottom and having the two ends 11 and .12 and the two sides 13 and 15. Rigidly secured within the box frame and in a plane below its top is a horizontal plate bed 16. Within the top area of the box frame and resting on the bed plate is any suitable cushion bedding 17. The numeral 18 designates the top box frame open at top and bottom, and of horizontal dimensions substantially that of the horizontal dimensions of the lower box frame 10. Within the top box frame is any suitable cushion bedding 19. The cushion beddings 17 and 19, and the sides and top of both of the box frames may be covered by any suitable sheet material as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The box frame 18 has wings 20 extending downwardly at each side of the box frame 10 and these wings are hinged to the box frame 10 by bolt means 21. The numeral 22 designates a horizontal platform vertically slidably mounted in the lower area of the box frame 10 as shown in FIG. 3. This platform is prevented from passing through the bottom of the box frame 10 by the limiting stops 23. The numeral 25 designates downwardly extending legs on the platform 22. Within the box frame 10 are two spaced apart U-strap members 26 and 27. These two strap members each have their two upper ends hingedly secured by bolt means or like to the two sides 13 and 15, respectively, of the box frame 10. The rearmost U-member and will be so held. With the platform in such lowered position, the box frame will be in a relatively high elevated position as shown in FIG. 1. 0n the other hand, if the U-members are swung toward horizontal positions, the platform 22 will slide upwardly within the box frame 10, and the box frame .10. will be in a low. elevated position relative to the supporting surface upon which the legs 25 will be resting.

The numeral 29 designates a pulley wheel rotatably mounted on the inside forward top end area of the box frame end 11 and below the bed plate 16. The numeral 30 designates a pulley wheel rotatably mounted on the inside rear top end area of the box frame end 12, and above the bed plate 16. The numeral 31 designates a cable having its rear end portion secured to the central portion of the U-member 26. This cable extends from the U-member 26 forwardly and is secured to the central portion of the U-member 27, from which it extends upwardly and forwardly to the pulley wheel 29. The length of the cable extends upwardly and around the pulley wheel 29, thence rearwardly and upwardly through the bed plate 16 to the pulley wheel 30. The cable then has its length extending upwardly and around the pulley wheel 30 and then through the rear portion of the cushion 17, as shown in FIG. 3. A handle member 32 is in the upper free end of the cable, The numeral 33 designates a coil spring having one end secured to the rear end of the platform 22 and its other end secured to the rear end of the cable 31 as shown in FIG. 4. By this arrangement of parts the spring 33 will yieldingly hold the U-members 26 and 27 in lowered positions.

The practical operation of the device is as follows: To change the footstool shown in FIG. 1 into a chair, it is merely necessary to swing the top box frame 18 from a horizontal position to a vertical position to form the back of the chair, and then to lift the device from the supporting floor or like. With the legs free of contact with the floor or like, the platform 22 and legs 25 will move downwardly by gravity until the platform engages the stops 23. With the legs in such extended positions and with the platform 22 in a lowered condition, gravity, and the spring 33 will move the U-members 26 and 27 to downwardly extending positions over the top of the platform, thus preventing the legs and platform to move relatively upwardly within the box frame 10, when the device is returned to a resting attitude on the floor or like. Because the legs 25 are in extended positions, the seat of the formed chair will be sufficiently elevated as shown in FIG. 2. To change the chair back into a footstool, it is merely necessary to pull the cable and lower the box frame 18 into a horizontal position onto the box frame 10. The pulling of the cable swings the U-members forwardly to permit the upward movement of the leg platform 22 into the box frame 10.

A stop 35 on the platform limits the swinging of the U-members downwardly past center.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my article of furniture without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims, any modified forms of structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. In a combination chair and footstool, a first frame having an opening in its bottom, a secondframe hinged to said first frame capable of being swung into either'horizontal or vertical positions, "a base member vertically s-lidably mounted in said *first frame, supporting legs rigidly secured to and extending downwardly from said baseme'ni'ber, afleast one U-shaped' member 'haying 'its 'two endsoperatively h'ingedly securedwithin said first fi'ameand capable of extending downwardly '10 'lir'nit the upward "sliding movement of said base member and capable of being swung upwardly to permitup'ward sliding movement of said'base member, a spring for yield- 'iligly holding sa'idU -Shapedmember in downwardlyextelziding position,'a nd a'cable means securedto said U shaped member for facilitating the manual 'swinging'o-f 'said"U-sl1'apedmember toward a horizontal position; "2.In".a"combination chair and footstool, comprising the combination recited in claim 1 and including wherein there aretwo spaced apart U-shaped members.

3. In a combination chair and footstool, comprising the combination'recited in claim 1 and further including a cushion means disposed on the top surface area of said first frame. H

4. In a combination chair and footstool, comprising the combination recited in'claim 1 'and'further including a'eushion means disposed on'both sides of said second frame. v i I R fe e? Cited in he e i his we s.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,088,464 Shorer Feb. 24, 191

2,037,634 Klazkin Apr. 14; 1936 2,566,818 Babit Sept. 4, 1951 2,646,106 Terry July 21, 1953 

